Nathaniel Tejeda Gets 30 Years for Child Porn Crimes

TUCSON, Ariz. — Nathaniel Tejeda, 29, of Reno, Nev., and formerly of Ruidoso, N.M., was sentenced to 360 months in federal prison on February 6, 2017, for the production and distribution of grotesque child pornography involving infants, toddlers, and a 14-year-old child he met online. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps, marks one of the harshest penalties yet in Arizona for online child sexual exploitation.

Tejeda was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of distributing graphic and sadistic child pornography, with evidence revealing he not only shared but created illicit material featuring minors. The investigation, led by Homeland Security Investigations and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, uncovered digital trails linking Tejeda to multiple networks where he uploaded and traded depraved content, including videos and images of the abused 14-year-old.

After evidence mounted, Tejeda pleaded guilty to both production and distribution charges—admitting his role in exploiting vulnerable children across state lines. Authorities emphasized the particularly heinous nature of the material, which involved infants and toddlers subjected to extreme abuse, elevating the severity of the charges and sentencing.

Upon completion of his 30-year prison term, Tejeda will face a lifetime of supervised release under strict sex offender conditions. He is required to register as a sex offender in any jurisdiction where he resides, works, or attends school—a permanent mark of his crimes.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a DOJ-led initiative launched in 2006 to combat the explosion of child sexual exploitation online. Spearheaded by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, the program unites federal, state, and local agencies to track down predators, dismantle networks, and rescue victims.

The prosecution was handled by Carin Duryee, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona, Tucson. Case number CR 16-0851-JGZ (JR). Release number 2017-008_Tejeda. For more on Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.